ENFORCEMENT action has been taken against nursing home Princess Lodge Care Centre by the Care Quality Commission after severe failings were exposed in the care it is providing.

The Curie Avenue centre, which is run by national firm Life Style Care, was inspected on July 10 and found to be failing to meet all five of the standards it is expected to meet.

Warning notices, a last resort used by the CQC for breaches in regulations, have been served on the care home, which was given until last Saturday to file an action plan for transforming its practises.

The inspection was unannounced and inspectors said it was carried out after they had received concerns people were receiving care which was neither safe, effective, caring, responsive nor well-led.

Among the findings, inspectors said: “The service was not safe. There were not sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to carry out the regulated activities.

“People who used the service were not protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had not taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

“We found, people were not always supported to eat or drink enough to maintain their health. Staff had not always received training to meet the needs of people living at the home.

“Care did not always take account of people's individual preferences and did not always respect their dignity. People were not always spoken to in a way that was respectful or caring.

“People that had lost significant amounts of weight had not been referred to a dietician and care records did not always show the most up-to-date information on people's needs and risks to their care.”

The CQC said the matter had been brought to the attention of both the commissioning and safeguarding teams at Swindon Council, which had now joined with the efforts to raise standards at the home.

Princess Lodge is yet to respond to the report.